Azykh

"Azokh" redirects here. For the cave in Azykh, see Azykh Cave.

Azykh (Azerbaijani: Azıx) or Azokh (Armenian: Ազոխ)^[2] is a village in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village is situated on the river of Ishkhanchay (Azerbaijani: İşxançay) or Ishkhanaget (Armenian: Իշխանագետ), near the Azykh Cave. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.^[3] The village was part of the Hadrut Province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh between 1992 and 2020.

Azykh / Azokh Azıx / Ազոխ
Azykh / Azokh Show map of Azerbaijan Azykh / Azokh Show map of Karabakh Economic Region
Coordinates: 39°37′14″N 46°58′42″E
Country	Azerbaijan
District	Khojavend
Elevation	686 m (2,251 ft)
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	741
Time zone	UTC+4 (AZT)

Etymology

According to the "Encyclopedic Dictionary of Azerbaijani Toponyms", the name Azykh originates from Old Turkic, meaning "bear den".^[4] According to the book "Historical-Architectural Monuments of Nagorno-Karabakh" by Shahen Mkrtchyan, the name Azokh originates from the Armenian word Ազոխ, Azokh, meaning "unripe grapes".^[5]

History

Entrance to the Azykh Cave

The Azykh Cave, located near the village, is a six-cave complex, known as a habitation site of prehistoric humans.^[6] The ancient layers of the Middle Paleolithic have yielded Neanderthal fossil remains that may date from around 300,000 years ago.^[7]

During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Hadrut District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. After the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the village was administrated as part of the Hadrut Province of the Republic of Artsakh.

The village came under the control of Azerbaijan on 9 November 2020, during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.^[8] Subsequently, The Guardian and Der Spiegel reported that Azerbaijani forces committed a war crime by decapitating Yuri Asryan, an 82-year-old Armenian man who remained in Azokh despite the Azerbaijani offensive towards the village.^[9][10]

Historical heritage sites

Azykh contains a number of historical heritage sites, two of which are registered by the Republic of Artsakh as immovable cultural heritage sites.^[11] The registered sites are the Azykh Cave, dating back to the Stone Age, located 700 m to the southeast, as well as the 13th-century bridge of Tsiltakhach (Armenian: Ծիլտախաչ), located 1 km to the southeast.^[12][13][14] In addition, the village contains the 17th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God') - a 14 m-long (46 ft) and 8 m-wide (26 ft) stone building built on two arches,^[12][13] and a historical cemetery dating from between the 10th and 19th centuries.^[12] Amarkhatun Monastery, Tsitskar Fortress, and Melik Sagam's battlement are also located near the village.^[13]